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Syracuse extended its winning streak to two with a 29-point win over Oakland on Tuesday night. Joe Girard III and Jesse Edwards recorded efficient performances, each scoring 18 points in 23 minutes, and SU’s reserves ate most of the second-half minutes in the Orange’s first blowout victory in over two weeks. SU used an 18-0 first-half run to seal the game’s outcome after the Grizzlies as late as midway through the first frame.

Next up for the Orange is longtime Big East rival Georgetown, an annual name on SU’s schedule for the past few years. The Hoyas were the Big East’s worst team last season, finishing 6-25, and lost their last 21 games, going winless after a December win over Howard. GU has looked slightly better this season, starting 4-5, but also lost at home to American, and by 18 to Loyola Marymount.

Here’s what our beat writers expect will happen when Syracuse hosts Georgetown on Saturday afternoon:

Anish Vasudevan (7-2)
Just Joe with it
Syracuse 78, Georgetown 70

Girard continued to find his spots against Oakland, which was no shock against one of the NCAA’s worst defenses. So the puns will continue as well. Syracuse now clashes against a familiar foe, but the Hoyas are off to another less-than-mediocre start to the year — Georgetown somehow lost to American.

Syracuse will need to attack the glass even more against Georgetown, who allows an offensive rebounding rate of 33.8%, a mark that’s 318th nationally, according to KenPom. Head coach Jim Boeheim said Syracuse’s other forwards need to help on the boards, though Edwards and John Bol Ajak, sparingly, have carried the load pretty well. Qudus Wahab will be the biggest threat versus SU’s bigs, but if Edwards and Ajak can get the ball back out to Judah Mintz and Girard for second-chance opportunities, this should be a somewhat easy win.

Connor Smith (7-2)
Closer than needed
Syracuse 78, Georgetown 70

These seven matchups between Syracuse and Georgetown since the Orange left the Big East in 2012 have usually been closer than expected, all but two decided by single-digits. SU has typically been the favorite, like last year, when it blew a 10-point halftime lead and lost in the nation’s capital. Syracuse is the much better team in this year’s game, and playing Georgetown at home and on a two-game win streak should mean a win over a struggling Hoyas team, one who just snapped a two-game losing streak versus Siena.

GU has the pieces to compete, with several good perimeter scorers, including Duquesne transfer Primo Spears, who averages a team-high 16.6 points per game. Wahab is a solid rebound, and Akok Akok is an exceptional shot blocker. I expect Georgetown to hang with Syracuse for a while by getting some good looks inside and converting on mid range shots, but the Orange should continue their winning ways behind some clutch baskets by Girard and Mintz. And for this year’s SU team, a win is a win, no matter how close it was.

Anthony Alandt (7-2)
What’s even a Hoya?
Syracuse 82, Georgetown 61

These aren’t your grandfather’s Hoyas. Georgetown literally gave away free tickets to its game against Siena Wednesday night. The 5-5 Hoyas are trying, desperately, to rebound from a 2021-22 season that saw them win zero Big East games, yet still manage to squeak out an early-season win against Syracuse. They did add a few transfers, including Spears and Brandon Murray, that have helped boost it back to what looks like a D-I program, but are still not anywhere close to competing.

Georgetown allows opponents to shoot 34% on 3-pointers and 48.5% from the paint, and with Girard back on track following a three-game slump, Syracuse should easily roll past an old foe. The Orange just need to take care of the game in the first half, like they did against Oakland, and built enough of a lead to ensure Georgetown doesn’t test SU’s depth.

Published on December 8, 2022 at 12:18 am